AMERICAN GOVERNMENT

1. AMERICAN GOVERNMENT 2011 SEMESTER EXAM STUDY GUIDE

2. 1. Which of the following is an argument in favor of closed primaries? • It is inexpensive • Prevents a party from “raiding” the other party and nominating a weaker candidate • The use of the media to promote one candidate over another • They provide the candidates an opportunity to express themselves. 2. In a closed primary • only declared party members may vote • all qualified voters may vote • voters must vote a split-ticket • voters must declare to the poll workers their party preference 3. What type of primary does that state of Alabama use? a. simple b. open c. closed d. indirect 4. In which type of primary would it be easier for an independent to vote? a. a closed primary b. an open primary c. a closed private primary d. a private primary 5. The main task of the national convention is to • give speeches to support the candidate • choose electors for the electoral college • choose convention delegates • select the party’s candidate for President

3. 6. Why do wealthy families/individuals typically support candidates? a. A candidate who loses the popular vote may still be elected President b. Many do so because it serves their best interest and to receive favors c. To create a super elite party among the upper middle class Americans d. So that the weaker and less fortunate candidates do not receive votes 7. An election in which a party’s voters choose delegates to the party’s national convention and/or express a preference for candidates for the party’s nomination is a? a. Presidential primary b. popular election c. National Convention d. delegate election 8. Conventions are held first for the a. party in power b. party out of power c. third party candidate d. Republican party 9. The platform of a particular party is its a. written declaration of it principles and policy decisions b. stage where the leaders stand during the national convention c. speech to get the crowd fired up and rallied behind the candidate d. none of the above 10. The Framers developed the electoral college because a. they wanted a complicated process that only the elite would understand b. they believed that the people would not be able to make an informed decision on their own c. the electors would pay to be involved in the process so the government would make money d. they wanted to ensure that the candidates from the national party won the election

4. 11. Which of the following is NOT one of the ways we make nominations in the U.S.? a. Caucus b. Direct primary c. Self-announcement d. Direct open presentation e. all of the above 12. The speech delivered at the National Convention by an up and coming member of the party which is designed to get people excited is called the a. keynote address b. platform c. electoral debate d. nominating speech 13. All the people who can vote in the population are called the a. delegates b. electorate c. voting league d. public opinion makers 14. The first state to hold a primary is a. New Hampshire b. Iowa c. New York d. Ohio 15. One advantage of an open primary is that • any registered voter can participate • voters can cast votes in the primaries for both parties • age limit does not factor into open primaries • every state holds one, so the process is known

5. 16. Political action committees (PACs) are • special-interest groups that have a major role in funding candidates • minor political parties that try to get involved in government • temporary groups, formed for the purpose of fundraising in a particular campaign • “watchdog” groups that oversee campaign finances 17. The most expensive item in a typical campaign budget is a. travel b. bumper stickers c. television ads d. professional campaign managers 18. Which of the following best describes the FEC? • it is an important part of the democratic process within the political campaigns • an organization of political elites that controls and governs the daily campaign operations • a committee that administers the laws passed by Congress about funding • the organization that was established by our national government to regulate the political parties 19. What is the nominating process? • How we choose nominees in each party • A form of delegation • The method in which we monitor television ads • The procedure used by each state to control money 20. Which of the following is the oldest form of nomination in America? a. Caucus b. self-announcement c. Primary elections d. open primary

6. 21. The agency responsible for regulating campaign funding is the • Federal Campaign Regulating Agency • Election Campaign Board • Federal Election Committee • Committee on Election Campaigns 22. In a political campaign, hard money is a. money given to a political party b. money given to a candidate c. money given to the federal government d. coin money 23. Who has decided how we nominate presidential candidates? a. political parties b. the government c. the American people d. the National Convention 24. The term “swing state” is commonly used to refer to states that • Allow anyone who is registered to vote to participate in the primaries • Do not consistently support republican or democratic in elections • Change the dates of their primaries in order to achieve more political importance • None of the above 25. In order to win the presidential election, a candidate must win at least ______ votes. a. 230 b. 270 c. 350 d. 535

7. 26. After the primaries, what is held to formally nominate the presidential candidates? a. open primary b. closed primary c. national convention d. unrestricted election 27. In which party are the primaries most heated? a. arty out of power b. party in power c. Republican d. Democratic 28. What is a representative? a. Presidential candidate b. electorate c. Delegate d. party member 29. Which of the following is NOT one of the goals of the national convention? • Name the President and Vice President candidates • Create division amongst the party members • Adopt the party’s platform • Bring different groups together and promote party unity 30. Why doesn’t the party in power have heated primaries? • They are already in office • The president himself is running for re-election • The president has given support to the candidate he favors for the nomination • All of the above

8. 31. Which of the following candidates proposed a level tax proposal? a. Rick Perry b. Mitt Romney c. Herman Cain d. Michele Bauchmann 32. Which of the following candidates stated that they are anti-“Obama Care”, proposed the idea for new seats in the house, and favors more American security and homeland security? a. Ron Paul b. Newt Gingrich c. Mitt Romney d. Rick Perry 33. Which candidate is in favor of allowing the housing and foreclosure crisis to reach its lowest point without intervening? a. Michele Bauchmann b. Herman Cain c. Mitt Romney d. Newt Gingrich 34. Which of the following candidates federally supported the 10th amendment a. Rick Perry b. Michele Bauchmann c. Ron Paul d. Herman Cain 35. Which of the following does NOT represent the healthcare bill? • It is a plan that prevents you from being dropped from your insurance coverage due to illness or a preexisting condition. • An insurance plan that will benefit small businesses and provides tax credits for those who cannot afford the lower insurance. • The plan is paid for through left over/reserved money from within the previous/existing insurance system. • The healthcare bill is one that is mandatory for all states and the American people.

9. True/False. 36. Alabama has 9 elector votes in the Electoral College. 37. The candidate that wins the popular election in a particular state is awarded all the elector votes from that state. 38. There are a total of 538 elector votes within the Electoral College. 39. The Vice-Presidential candidate is chosen at the national convention 40. Presidential primaries in the party out of power tend to be the most heated fights in the primary season.

10. 41. In the United States, a political party is made up of a group of people who a. disagree on how to resolve the basic issues affecting the country b. with broad common interests who work to win elections c. work separately to support one major program or policy d. support split-ticket voting 42. People belong to a particular political party a. voluntarily, because they made a personal choice b. because State laws and regulations require it c. based on the location in which they live d. because of federal laws and regulations 43. In the past, some states limited voting rights by a. passing political socialization laws b. eliminating the literacy test c. charging a poll tax d. overruling grandfather clauses 44. What did the 19th Amendment do for voter qualification? a. stated that voting could not be deprived due to gender b. states that voting could not be deprived due to race, color, or previous condition of servitude c. stated that poll taxes could no longer be charged in order to vote d. stated that religious tests could no longer be taken to vote 45. In general, more people vote a. in presidential elections b. in general congressional elections c. in off-year elections d. for county offices, rather than for state offices

11. 46. The grandfather clause was developed to a. allowed whites who were failing the literacy tests to vote b. allowed people over 65 to vote without taking a literacy test c. allowed African Americans to take multiple literacy tests until they passed one d. prevented white people who had never had a relative vote, from voting 47. A minor party focused on solving one problem in American life is a. an ideological party b. a splinter party c. a single-issue party d. an economic protest party 48. Which law made the 15th Amendment effective? a. the Voting Rights Act of 1965 b. the Civil Rights Act of 1964 c. the Civil Rights Act of 1960 d. the 19th Amendment 49. Minor parties play the “spoiler” role in elections by a. raising controversial issues b. taking votes away from one of the major parties c. using negative campaign advertising d. taking media attention away from a major party 50. The 15th Amendment did not secure the right of African Americans to vote primarily because a. it did not provide for any way to enforce it b. it was repealed by Congress soon after it was ratified c. it prevented state leaders from acting on behalf of African Americans d. it was not approved by the Supreme Court

12. 51. Suffrage is a. A belief by the Southern States that African Americans should suffer b. The right to vote c. The right for only women to vote d. All of the above 52. A particular set of beliefs, principles, or philosophies are a. ideologies b. single-issue parties c. economic agenda d. federal committee 53. Women are most likely to support the ________ Party. a. Republican b. Independent c. Democratic d. Libertarian 54. The term ballot fatigue can be defined as • When people do not vote for the last few selections on the ballot because they don’t know as much about them or don’t care to vote anymore • belief that one’s vote does not count • when people are too tired to go to the polls and vote • None of the above 55. Which of the following is the earliest and one of the most important factors of political socialization? a. school b. the family c. gender d. place of residence

13. 56. Federalism is a system of government that a. divides the powers of government according to who is allowed to participate b. divides the powers of government between nation, state, and local c. allows the people to rule d. allows only one person to rule 57. The Bill of Rights guarantees the following EXCEPT a. the right to a speedy trial b. right of women to vote c. freedom of speech d. right to bear arms 58. An enabling act directs any area desiring Statehood to a. prepare a constitution b. become an organized territory c. give up its territory d. submit the act to a popular vote 59. Expressed powers are a. broad grants of power that all heads of government are assumed to have b. situations that require a president to take quick action c. powers that are expressly written into the Constitution d. decisions of the Supreme Court concerning vague powers of the president in the area of foreign policy 60. Which of the following accounts for the ability for the Constitution to endure for more than 200 years? a. built-in provisions for making changes b. detailed provisions only allow change in certain circumstances c. very specific language that limits interpretation d. inflexible previsions designed to resist change

14. 61. In times of internal disorder, the National government assumes that states will • Handle the affairs on their own b. Ask the national government if help is needed • Extradite those causing the disorder to different states in order to keep them separated • Do nothing and wait for the federal government to step in 62. With the words, "We the People," the Constitution establishes its authority on the basis of a. popular sovereignty b. judicial review c. limited government d. Federalism 63. The Constitution is divided into a. Articles b. Paragraphs c. Chapters d. Essays 64. Which amendment gives the states their powers? a. 1st b. 2nd c. 7th d. 10th 65. At the present time, the number of formal amendments to the Constitution is a. 15 b. 10 c. 27 d. 33

15. 66. The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution are known as the a. Constitution. b. Bill of Rights c. Civil Rights d. Civil Liberties 67. The plan introduced by smaller states that provided for counting representation equally among states was the a. Connecticut Compromise b. New York Plan c. Virginia Plan d. New Jersey Plan 68. The men who met in Philadelphia, and wrote the Constitution are known as the a. First Delegates b. Federalists c. Framers d. Grand Legislators 69. The idea that individuals have rights that the government can’t take away is a. ordered government b. limited government c. representative government d. ridiculous 70. Among the broad purposes of the United States government spelled out in the Preamble to the Constitution is the obligation to a. keep the executive and legislative branches of government separate b. create an autocratic form of government c. defend the country against Americans who oppose the policies of the government d. provide for justice and the people’s general welfare

16. 71. All of the things that government does, the laws it makes, and practices , are called a. institutions b. powers c. public policies d. oligarchies 72. The last stage of expanding suffrage to American citizens involved a. women’s voting rights b. setting a minimum voting age c. creating equal voting rights for African Americans d. legalizing religious tests 73. A person who votes in the presidential election but does not vote in a congressional election is known as a. A “cannot voter” b. an independent voter c. A vote hater d. a “nonvoting voter” 74. Which of these characteristics does NOT describe people who usually vote? a. blue collar workers b. businessmen c. highly educated d. older than 35 75. Which is a function of a political party? a. to nominate candidates for office b. to ensure the candidates are qualified b. to find candidates and gather support d. all of the answer choices